


The One Where...

by stratskosphere4



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: AU, Angst, Bad Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Humor, Implied Violence, Implied captivity, Mildly Out of Character, One Shot, Sexual Coercion, character still alive, implied sex, mountain-monster-attack, said character gone way off the rails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-18
Updated: 2013-10-18
Packaged: 2017-12-29 19:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratskosphere4/pseuds/stratskosphere4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aerith really has to thank that green slimy Malboro for the <i>gift</i> she’s been holding onto since that fight up in the mountains. She’s been putting <i>it</i> to good use since then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where...

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing but this fic. It's quite AU, fairly OOC but some fluff isn't so bad here and there. 
> 
> If I _did_ own Final Fantasy VII, Aerith wouldn't have died and would be living happily with her sweetheart, Tifa. She's not all that angelic, and we _know_ that, huh. ;)

There was something about her that _normally_ made her seemingly gentle-natured and tender-hearted, and it must be because she _looks_ all of what the wandering eyes sees. However, she knew she was quite fond on being helpful and dedicated in certain circumstances and her heart always told her to _be herself, that’s what the Planet desires for all of its inhabitants to do anyway_. Sometimes the impression she gave to others kind of made her disappointed in herself and she simply rolled her eyes every time someone or a group of people, like those of AVALANCHE judged her poorly.

Yet she wasn’t as sweethearted, gently-endearing or _angelic_ as a couple hundred, maybe thousands of people had claimed her to be in the past.

But she’ll always take comfort in the knowledge the Planet shall continue being more keen on letting people and its Cetra _embrace their true selves, and remember to be themselves and not what others demand them to be_.

Aerith smiled that usual sweet flowers-blossoming one as she held a little rustic treasure box she found in one of her past journeys and struggles in one of the North Crater caves. She’s survived a lot with a lot of _hope_ and grace and a good modicum of help from the rest of the AVALANCHE members, but that one frightening encounter with the huge green tentacle-faced monster _really_ made her want to run for her own Holy. It was that damned scary.

She wasn’t _alone_ in that battle, she remembered.

_“Oh my god, this thing is massive!” shouted a hyped up Tifa Lockhart as she readied her gauntlets and the array of materia orbs secured safely into the knuckles of her gauntlets and her hell of a powerful boots and her long legs, (a force to be reckoned with) for a serious battle against the gaping and hungry Malboro._

_Aerith was already well prepared, but she still sweated anxiously at the immense green monster and she tapped the side of her staff and looked over her shoulder and was about to give Tifa a useful tip regarding the monster’s weakness but the younger woman was already charging with her martial arts’ abundance and ready to decimate the gross beast, and in defense the Malboro snarled and sneered as it lashed out at her with one of its long thick green tendrils and the point of it was very sharp and if it made contact with anything, it would pierce deeply and painfully into its enemy or victim’s flesh and would hurt more than a thousand poisonous wasp stings. Aerith’s emerald green eyes opened completely sunwide as the defensive beast made a successful tendril incision deep inside the reckless and brave brunette’s chest and tore a few layers of that tough and beautiful skin off and drilled inside her even more painfully, and Tifa tried staggering backwards but failed as she let out an ear-piercing scream at the burning pain in her chest._

_Looking at her friend being rendered subdued by the vicious green slug-ball, Aerith then rushed out towards it and used the green Water materia she quipped herself with before the encounter and luckily the Cetra prevailed in beating and destroying the Malboro with it. She felt a little dizzy after the victory, but she recomposed herself despite the feeling._

_“Well, that was a doozy huh.” She smiled to herself and looked around to find her combat partner and Aerith’s jaw fell when she saw that Tifa kept reeling from the intensity of the tendril pain and the Cetra’s jaw went right into the snow-dusted ground and she quickly scurried on over to her and her eyes literally bulged right out of her sockets when she got a closer look at the paining brunette’s opened chest._

_“Oh no, that big meanie was trying to go after your heart, Tifa! I didn’t think you had a secret admirer in the form of big and scary!” she panicked at the wide incision mark and bleeding chest of the younger woman’s. Tifa couldn’t make out her hysterics due to the numbing fact she was in a lot of pain, and to Aerith’s chagrin the young brunette’s heart was nearly popping out from the grotesque wound. The young fighter kept groaning in spite of the lingering pain and the older woman touched her cheek tenderly and stroked it and biting her bottom lip at the same time._

_“You poor thing. Don’t worry, Tif! I’ll take care of this!” she told her in her sweet and kindhearted voice. Aerith brought her hands up and around her chestnut brown braid to the beautiful pink bow on top and carefully untied it and caught her Holy materia in time and looking back at Tifa while nursing the precious and abundant white orb in her hands, she leaned over the trembling small form of the fighter and with one tiny croak, she pleaded, “Take it…out. Take…it out. Pl-please...!”_

_Aerith noted that the remnant of the tendril was still digging deeply into one of the vascular tubes an inch away from Tifa’s pumping heart and the Cetra gathered as much energy and power from the Holy materia and used it to help cast a divine green glow around the beating heart. But considering she had just come out unscathed but worn out in the recent battle, there wasn’t enough regained magical energy in her to restore the twitching vascular and Tifa’s auburn eyes shed some tears and she croaks, “Take…it out. Stop, stop the pain.”_

_It was quite a predicament for the Cetra, but there was a relieving feeling in her when her Holy materia successfully restored only Tifa’s heart. But it drove her absolutely nuts when it wasn’t much to close up that injured vascular. So instead of letting the poor writhing girl weep endlessly at the abiding pain, Aerith had to settle the quarrel and she reached in her red jacket pocket for some kind of hairpin and with a gut-pinching look on her face, she carefully, very carefully snapped it open and used the sharp part of it to chunk off that damaged useless tube and keeping her Holy materia over her friend’s heart at the same time, she succeeded in taking the salvaged organ out of the brunette’s holed-chest and heard a blood-curdling scream from her after which made Aerith quickly confiscate the bloodied hairpin into the well beside Tifa’s trembling body and Aerith then noticed an old emptied treasure chest in the well. Looking at it carefully and then back to the still beating heart of Tifa’s, the older woman reaches her free hand down that wide gap and takes the box in her hand and it wasn’t a big box either, so it was easy to pull it up with her hand and to her no problem._

_It was astonishing to the Cetra that her young friend’s chest wound closed up and something about her Holy materia made her question it. It is indeed one of the most powerful materia in the world but it left her bedazzled. She was smart, she knew that much. But this was something very new to her. Not only had it preserved Tifa’s heart but it also healed up her once open-wounded chest. Aerith looked at the pumping organ in her one hand and she carefully placed it inside the vacant treasure box and assembled her Holy materia back in her pink ribbon and gently secured it with the ribbon’s bows._

_Lightly patting her pink ribbon tenderly and some of her beautiful dark brown hair after, Aerith grinned when she gazed back at Tifa who sighed out her reprieve from the pain, and the younger woman grumbled lowly._

_“I almost had that Jabba the Hutt wannabe. I was this close!” Tifa drew her finger and her thumb closer together to make her point well emphasized. Aerith chuckled a little when she heard the pissed off tone in her young friend’s voice._

_She’s definitely coming back together again which isn’t a bad thing at all. Aerith mused delightfully._

_But embracing the event that had transpired beforehand she was a little worried about what Tifa may remember from it. Much to her chagrin the young fighter asked her, “Oh, did you get rid of that stupid beast?”_

_Aerith nodded._

_Tifa’s eyes squinted a little and she hissed, “That’s good. It got exactly what it asked for.”_

_The Cetra nodded again and she offered a hand out to the young martial artist and carefully pulled her up with her, and she asks her in a concerned inquiry, “Yes it most certainly had! How are you feeling now, Tifa? Do you feel anything odd or unruly still hanging about?”_

_Looking at her friend who wasn’t that much shorter than her, the younger woman gave her a puzzled look and she unconsciously rubbed her chest and not being able to find an answer for not only the older woman but herself too, Tifa shook her head and reported, “No, not any that I can sense. I’m tired but I think I’ll be alright once I get some rest.”_

_Aerith actually winced when the darker-brown hair girl stroked her chest and she almost felt a thundering dread bolt in her nerves but was stopped by feeling genuinely relieved of the fighter’s astounding report._

_“Ah well, that’s good! No worries, I think we’ll be reaching at a hotel soon. You can rest up there, girl!” Aerith spoke rather cheerily and enthusiastically, almost rolling her eyes at herself for the foreknowing of whatever monsters they may face on their quest to find the nearest hotel._

_Tifa smiled softly at the older woman and then she noticed the rustic treasure box held safely and possessively in Aerith’s grips and raising an eyebrow, she asked her while pointing a finger at the closed chest, “Did it leave you with a nice reward behind, Aerith?”_

_There it goes. Those nervous butterfly feelings started swimming all around inside the older woman’s body. Her face paled up a little in a slight bit of shame when she tried not to let the guilt seep in because of what she had to do in order to salvage Tifa’s heart. One huge part in Aerith told her not to look like she was caught red-handed and that was actually the part that told her to be herself despite all. Aerith held the small wooden chest close to her in a more possessive manner, and she murmurs coyly, “Yes it did.”_

_Smiling a fuller and ardent one at the older woman and also thinking of how cute and gentle-hearted she looks while keeping that treasured box close to her as if it’s like her favourite cherishable childhood toy, Tifa patted Aerith’s shoulder in the congratulating way and she said, “Well, since you won the battle, the victory and its reward are all yours, girl! I won’t step on your thunder and steal it from you, don’t you worry my friend!”_

_Grinning meekly back at her enthusiastic young friend, Aerith nodded her head and a tsunami of relief washed all over her and she unconsciously pulled Tifa in for a friendly hug and she said, “Thank you, Tif! I have to admit that green slobbery thing didn’t quite stand a chance against this Ancient. It should have known better, I tell you!”_

_“Well,” Tifa hugged her back and laughed softly and went on as both women started trekking down the snowy slope, “You are a force to be reckoned with. That’s for sure! Good work, Aerith!”_

_Smiling like a fool but keeping her recent possession close to her, Aerith’s smile then faded back to its usual mischievous and cunning smile and she squeezed her hand around her slender staff. “You know what they say. I am one of kind, my dear! Thank you Tifa!” then both women chuckled on their way down the rocky stone paths and out of the mountain._

Aerith knew that Tifa was still bewildered by the battle and the unusual circumstances after that transpired back then because she wouldn’t stop asking Aerith if she felt that something was _missing_ from all that had ensued back on that mountain. The Cetra kept insisting that she’s probably dealing with some posttraumatic stress from the Malboro’s unruly attack on her and also that she may be really angry and pissed when she comes face-to-face with any more of them from that point on. 

Either way, only _she_ knew what truthfully occurred.

To her luck Tifa hadn’t even bothered to ask her what was _really_ locked deep in that old treasure box and Aerith kept it with her almost at all times with the exceptions of being stuck in some peril of a battle or when she went to have a shower or any time in between.

The Ancient _back then_ still found herself asking her Holy materia why it was able to restore Tifa as much as it had, and despite the fact that it had done what Aerith hoped it would, it still left her having some private chats to herself and made some debates with it and told it she would go to some court with it to testify against its confusing methods. She said she would ground it if it didn’t give her the answer she was craving for.

 _But that was in the past_. Aerith recalled while her devious and enticing smile planted across those beautiful peach-coloured lips of hers.

_There was a predicament along the way a month and a half after that mountain battle where Tifa was pushed nearly over the edge of her own sanity when the others, mainly Cloud, Barret and Cid had gotten themselves a wee bit too drunk the one night and made some unintended remarks about her body and how dangerous it is and how she would use it as her own weapon to get what she wants. Clearly that was the alcohol doing all the blitz-talking and Aerith that night took it easy on the rich wine. She settled for a third of a glass and wasn’t as blitzed as the men were. Certainly she wouldn’t have blamed Tifa for wanting to slice Cloud’s spiky head off with her fierce and beautiful and skilled arms, and she too wasn’t fond of the golden boy herself. They had kissed just that one time in Gold Saucer but she never found herself appealed to him and therefore didn’t like how he could snap her out of her true self and made Aerith something that she knew she wasn’t. The Planet wanted her to be herself. She was quite content with that._

_But still the older woman didn’t want any bloodshed to ascend that night, and she tried calming Tifa down by using some moral and supportive words but neither methods were working accordingly to Aerith, so she gravely resolved the pandemonium at large by ducking underneath the table and taking that small rustic treasure box out of her stationary inner jacket pocket and opened it to reveal a mildly glowing beating heart of Tifa’s, and mumbling to herself and telling her Holy materia that she’s grounding it again for misbehaving on her, the older woman gently pulled the glimmering organ out and feeling a little reluctant, she slightly squeezes it and kept mumbling to herself and reminding her to be herself and nothing more as well as feeling a ping of guilt deep down. Aerith then heard an uncomfortable yelp coming from the volatile fighter and above the table. Tifa’s eyes scrunched shut at the pinching sensation in her chest and she stumbled backwards and her hand flew on the rim of the counter and the other flew right up to her chest and clutched it tightly. The shivering woman ended up beating her one hand on the counter in protest at the twitching sensation in her chest and the others looked at her in confusion. “What’s up with her?” asked Cloud who observed her carefully but neither three nor Tifa were aware of Aerith’s hiding but she was in the far back booth as it was and didn’t matter if she didn’t get a lot of attention this time. In fact, she was secretly sizing her young friend’s gorgeous body up as she went around and served the three men their drinks and thought how damned sexy she was when she let those hips grace her eyes in the way they flew about. But that was before Cid, Barret and Cloud had gotten themselves pretty blitzed and coincidentally painted as targets by Tifa’s fury._

_But it did made Aerith feel a lot better when the younger woman was finally calming down after that unusual twinge descended in her chest and Tifa gasped her relief out and she looked at all three men curiously and saw that their former drunken faces had turned into some genuinely concerned gazes._

_Cloud got up from his seat and he walked over to her and almost caught her hand in time to give it a soft stroke but Tifa pushed him back and she asked, “Wait, what are you doing Cloud?”_

_Feeling confused by her sudden defense, the blond spiky-headed ex-SOLDIER told her, “I was only trying to help you, Tifa. You seemed like you were having some kind of heart attack or something.”_

_“You was really limpin’ and doin’ some disco moves there or somethin’, Teef.” Barret chipped in while rubbing his gunarm gently and trying to polish it at the same time._

_“Disco moves?” Tifa mused, baffled._

_“Yeah like some of yer own Panic at the Disco moves or somethin’!” Cid hollered out as he got up from his seat with his pack of cigarettes and places some gil on his part of the table and had respectfully retreated outside the new 7th Heaven so that he wasn’t filling the place up with the nicotine odour._

_Cloud nodded at both Cid and Barret and turned his head back to Tifa and feeling less blitzed than before he smiled weakly at her and told her, “Sorry about earlier, Tifa. That was one Hell of a cocktail. Man, do I sure know how Johnny feels now.”_

_Still some of the earlier insults and discomforting words left Tifa reasonably hurt. It would take a lot more than a civil apology to forgive Cloud or the other two guys for what they said, even if they were drunk off their asses._

_“I’m alright now, but you keep working on that apology, Cloud. It sounds more sincere when you’re still not under the influence of alcohol.” She spoke coldly at him and giving him a stern glare, she also said, “It doesn’t matter. Have fun going out with Yuffie tomorrow huh. Sleep off all that booze.”_

_Aerith could clearly see the rejected look on Cloud’s face and the quick embarrassment flushing all over it when he realized that he could’ve very well cheated on his current girlfriend who was in fact Yuffie, the young and adventurous materia thief. However she wasn’t as hungry for materia as she was back in those days and certainly had been improving on that habit and came out to be a considerably mature girl. Aerith grinned at this knowledge._

_But when she felt the tension descend, she quickly but quietly closed up the treasured box and kept Tifa’s heart safe with her as usual._

_Though she couldn’t keep that satisfied smirk off her face when she witnessed Cloud’s tragic rejection and knew that Tifa was off the market for him and merely all of the other men she’s met before. While looking at the cherished treasure before her, Aerith started nursing it mischievously._

_She had settled it back inside her red jacket in her comfortable stationary pocket and just before she could put a few gil on the table, Tifa stalled her and she was already over collecting Aerith’s emptied glass and she gave her a gentle smile. “Hey girl! How was your drink?” she asked._

_Aerith grinned up at the long-legged beauty before her and she complimented, “The wine deserves a worldwide praise, Tifa. Everyone else will simply love this rich and soothing taste of spirit!” then feeling concerned and secretly conniving at the same time, the older woman asks her, “How are you doing now?” she paused and then carried on, “You seemed a little off tonight.”_

_Great, smooth one Gainsborough. Way to give in a little. She muttered to herself._

_Tifa’s eyes went down to the tray that now had Aerith’s emptied wine glass on it and she sighed. Blinking her eyes once and almost sniffling at the lingering hurt those insults obviously left behind she shook her head and said, “I’m doing alright. Trying not to take those dolts too seriously let alone those rude comments to heart. I’ll get over it later on. But,” she lifted her gaze up from the tray and down back to a cheerily smiling Aerith and felt a little bemused by her awkward glance, though Tifa shrugged and confessed with a blushing smile, “I don’t know what that feeling was or how it came to me in the first place, but it sure felt somewhat arousing.”_

_Blinking in confusion at the younger woman’s confession Aerith asked her, “Arousing huh?” she didn’t want to come off as a total perv but maybe the confession wasn’t that bad to wallow in. Still she kept her sweet and timid smile on her face._

_“Yeah!” Tifa justified lightly. “It was like some beautiful hand was gently squeezing my chest, and it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the opposite actually. That hand or maybe those hands were squeezing it with such tender care and love.”_

_Aerith was too busy creating some deeper subconscious realms like dreams in her mind where she could imagine her own hands giving Tifa that same amount of affection and pleasure. The way how she squirmed delightfully beneath her, the way how she moaned in the lovely pleasure and smiling blissfully up at her woman and in the daydream, they were both stark naked and hot and blessedly wet against each other, entwining both their bodies together in euphoria. Aerith was coming so close to giving Tifa a long, deep and euphoric kiss when she heard her voice pull her out of the dreamy realm._

_“Have you ever felt that before?” asked Tifa._

_Putting on her meek face again and shaking her head at the young fighter’s question, Aerith admittedly eagerly, “No I haven’t, not even with my first crush long ago. Zack wasn’t all too touchy of a fellow but who knows, I certainly wouldn’t mind having that possibility someday, Tifa.” She let out a dreamy sigh after and Tifa laughed softly._

_“I’m sure you’ll find your chance sometime soon, honey.” She winked at her and intended the wink to be some friendly encouragement than for Aerith to take in as an inviting gesture. She didn’t mind perceiving the wink as a welcome sign. In fact she relished it and only Tifa knew it was meant as some supportive notion._

_Back in her apartment in Edge, Aerith was in her bathroom and she looked blankly into the nice wide mirror. She looked above her head after in the reflection and her green eyes caught the sight of her Holy materia still secured safely in her pink ribbon. Raising an eyebrow at it in her reflection, a quick disappointed scowl appeared on her face and she brought her hand up and pointed up at it and told it, “You’re grounded for a week, my beloved materia. You were misbehaving yet again.”_

_Wait, don’t say that to it. It’s actually been doing something marvelous for you all this time. Aerith’s other part of her mind encouraged her._

_“Hmm, maybe it has been. It has for sure helped me get closer to claiming my ultimate reward.” She mumbled to herself and kept looking into the mirror. That was when her old impish smile reformed on her beautiful face and she brought her hands together and bounded them together and she said, “To win Tifa Lockhart once and for all!” she proclaimed mirthfully and determinedly._

Aerith reminisced the time that _she_ was held responsible for literally tipping Tifa over the precipice of her sanity and was rewarded with a slap in the face from the young fighter when she had _just_ helped her step out of a fist-fight with the reckless and charming redheaded Turk Reno and he spat out at the Ancient, _“You should tame that wild girlfriend of yours. She’s so off the tracks and you very damn well should do better to put her back on them next time, eh.”_

_Aerith felt a little embarrassed but she scowled a mean one at the haughty Turk as he walked off listing off just about every vulgar word in the dictionary and maybe adding some of his own slangs in the mix. But what he said actually inspired her and she took comfort in Reno’s word choice of girlfriend, and a small wry smile crept up on her face and she looked at the riled young martial artist who in return gave her a suspicious glare back. While she rubbed her somewhat reddening cheek where Tifa slapped her before and revealing more of her devious side, she pulled the younger woman with her and told her to stay calm and that things will be alright, and Tifa nearly fought against her but the Cetra’s hold on her was quite strong so it didn’t work as well as Tifa wanted, so Aerith successfully brought her into her apartment and it was very appropriate and well accommodating and some shelves were topped with nice magnificently-scented flowers and Tifa looked around only half observing the interior of the warm and welcoming apartment of Aerith’s and before she could make some gut-plummeting remark at her, the Cetra quickly pushed her onto her twin-sized bed and said for her to stay where she is and that she will be back in a jiffy. Tifa uninterested in what the Cetra had been brainstorming the younger woman sighed and rolled her eyes and tapped the mattress with her finger impatiently._

_Aerith had that same rustic wooden treasure chest opened once more and being very careful with it and its prized contents, she delicately takes Tifa’s luminous heart out of it and thought to herself, Everything will be alright. But she did slap you, hadn’t she? How are you going to make her take that back? Only you know the answer to that. Be yourself._

_Stepping out of her long thinking train the chestnut hair woman smiled wily to herself, and she smirked as she cupped the beating and lively organ in her hands tenderly and without any more hesitation she gave it one soft but firm squeeze._

_Tifa on the other hand, just about had enough of the waiting around and while she started sitting up from the bed, a sudden and pinging feeling pulsed in her chest and she gasped at it and growled at the uneasy twinge it left her with. Quickly seizing her chest with her sudden hand, the younger woman almost writhed at the pinging sensation but an abrupt arousal started replacing the intention of fighting it and Aerith could hear her wail out softly and it was more than enough to bode with for the time being, and she left the younger woman’s glowing heart where it was and came back out to the pretty-looking den and she looked at the small sweat starting to bead around the forehead hair-rims on Tifa and gave her a rueful smile and although it was a terrible thing to do to her, the young fighter felt some pleasure with the feeling and Aerith finally resolved the night by making her all hers with one deep, passionate and comfortable kiss and undressed the needing younger woman and letting her take her turn in unclothing her, the Cetra stroked her abdomen and down lower to the young fighter’s womanhood softly._

_Just a few euphoric and orgasmic screams and moans here and there, and the night ended blissfully._

The Ancient grinned very artfully and _knew_ that it was the best way to handle a heated situation. That was then that the answers that her Holy materia were becoming much clearer to the older woman, even when Tifa really appreciated Aerith for being more _herself_ than what others demand her to be and always believed in being _unique_. The younger woman was bright and very enthusiastic and she was definitely a breath of fresh air for many. She certainly stepped out her old young reckless age and developed into the mature young woman whom Aerith _loves_ deeply.

Both women had come a long way, though. Through thick and thin and conquering a lot and nearly with each other most of the time, unless given a different grouping position or that they didn’t want to come in a huge group and be taken down all at once without having some backup circling their enemies close by. Tifa still trembled whenever anyone, even any of the AVALANCHE members mentioned _Malboro_ or _Jabba the Hutt_ around her and Aerith simply told her it was likely posttraumatic stress she suffered from, and that she had absolutely nothing to worry about since she’ll _always_ have her Cetra _lover_ nearby to quash those big and uglies for her. Being awestruck with her lover’s generous protection and support, Tifa couldn’t have been any happier and relieved.

Their relationship progressed along the way and there had indeed been some ups and downs with it, but Aerith had to reconsider the obvious. No relationship was meant to be full-out _perfect_. She wasn’t going to console Tifa with that useless sense of morality anytime soon either. Instead they settled for having a smooth and sensible relationship, even if it _did_ involve some near throat-ripping’s, tough disputes and _face slaps_ along the way.

The Ancient tempted fate that _one time_ , however.

_After the ladies had a relaxing night out at Cosmo Canyon where Nanaki wanted to revisit his birthplace and give his father Seto another praise of words regarding how proud he was of his father and that he’ll always love him and is blessed by the Planet to have been his son. He will always be the burning beacon of hope and bravery to his son, no matter what. Awestruck by their red furry lion-canine-mixed friend, Tifa and Aerith ended their night by staying in the inn and being inspired by the young and obviously fated-with-longevity red warrior, Aerith had confessed to her lover that she held something very special and valuable of hers. Confused by the direction of the conversation Tifa was nonetheless intrigued by it. Painstakingly the Cetra tucked her hand inside her red jacket and to that particular pocket she gently brandished the wooden old treasure chest, and showed it to Tifa._

_Tifa raised her eyebrow up and tried to figure her girlfriend out but she chuckled mockingly at the rustic box and asked her while pointing at it, “You’ve kept this heap of wood and nuts and bolts with you this whole time, huh?”_

_“Tifa…” Aerith said calmly and warningly._

_She gave her a pointed stare and Tifa jumped slightly at it and she told her, “Well hey, if it really means that much to you then keep holding onto it, hon!”_

_Looking at her with a tearfully happy gaze the Ancient smiled at her and she massaged the cherishing wooden box tenderly and she announced, “Thank you, sweetie. It has something in it that has brought a lot of happiness and comfort. Something that I think you ought to see for yourself.”_

_Amused and quite enthralled by the vague undertone in her girlfriend’s words Tifa actually couldn’t wait to see what that old slimy pile of sleaze left behind for her lover. Her beautiful luscious lips smiled at the eagerness in finding out exactly what reward Aerith has had all this time, because it certainly meant the whole Planet to her._

_“Hey if you don’t want to do this show-and-tell thing, then I won’t push you to do so, Aerith.” She consoled her, wholeheartedly._

_Shaking her head and giggling at her young lover’s thoughtfulness, she gave her a small playful smack on her shoulder and Tifa laughed heartily at it and rubbed it and wrinkled her nose teasingly._

_“No, I do want to show you Tifa. I just want you to know that I love you very much, hon.” Aerith professed meaningfully and also thoroughly._

_Tifa smiled more blissfully and professed back while leaning her face closer to Aerith’s, “I love you too, Aer.” Then both of their lips engaged one another’s soft compassionate embrace and the electricity of love and warmth sparked all over in both women as Aerith was distractedly taken into the kiss but after a second passed, she certainly hadn’t mind getting this one out of the dozens of others from her lover before and accepted it compassionately. Tifa’s hand found its way up the back of the older woman’s neck and Aerith nuzzled her nose against her young lover’s and purred in their loving kiss, and she giggled in it when she felt those strong and slender fingers lightly tickle the soft and divine skin of hers and she murmurs, “Tif…a-ah ha!” Tifa grinned and chuckled in the kiss and knew she had Aerith’s best tickling nerve all hers to please and play with and she laced her tongue over Aerith’s and continued pleasing her heart and soul with her affectionate tongue curls and the Ancient moaned in the much appreciated passion it graced her with._

_There was some romantic movements made by both lovers and Aerith had unconsciously and accidentally dropped the treasure chest containing Tifa’s shimmering heart on the rich fluffy tribal-looking blankets and the box was rendered unhinged and opened itself up in the contact with the blankets and the red lavish light had draped the whole inn room with its abundant rays and this was more than enough to startle both lovers and they quickly dismounted each other from the other’s lips and looked at the radiating lights coming from the small wooden treasure box and Tifa’s eyes opened wide in amazement and Aerith’s eyes opened in absolute shock and the Ancient was about to tip the cover back over but her hand was intercepted by Tifa’s skillful one and she carefully seized it and pleaded her, “No wait Aerith, let me see it!”_

_“Tifa! I was going to--” she was about to protest when Tifa swiftly hushed her with a finger over her lover’s lips and she kept gazing deeply into the boxed object, or rather gleaming organ and her jaw descended a little and was captivated by the beautiful array of lights it shined out._

_“What is that? It looks like a…” the curious young fighter leaned her head closer to the radiating object and some kind of twinge rattled in her belly when she realized what it was. “A, a heart!” her jaw fell right onto the soft tribal-blankets and her eyes were round-opened like a pair of full moons shining with astonishment, and Tifa brought a hand up to her mouth and she said, “You have a heart! A real shimmering heart!”_

_Aerith could have bitten Tifa’s finger off in the anxiety and internal protest but she was pretty much outed with her gifted reward that she’s been holding onto since that Malboro fight in the mountains back then. This was much to Aerith’s chagrin that Tifa had discovered the very essence of her happiness and comfort; her heart._

_“Whose heart is it, Aer? Was it from that stinkin’ big and smelly green beast?” Tifa asked her sounding like she would’ve done something off the tracks if Aerith dared to give her the wrong answer._

_Luckily Aerith hadn’t. She settled for being upfront and she confessed with a soft whisper, “No actually it’s not from that big mean Oscar the Grouch, it’s…” she tried to make her revelation quieter and whispered, “Yours, Tifa.”_

_“MINE?!” the younger woman was quick to register this shocking revelation in, and Tifa’s heart actually glimmered even brighter at the swirling emotions she caused it to shine with._

_The older woman knew she was in for it and would accept any disregard or even another slap and face the ramifications as much as she deserved. Solemnly she admitted, “Yes, the heart is yours Tifa. After the smelly green stink-pot had drilled one of its tendrils deeper into one of your main heart vessels, I couldn’t do a lot to help close your bulging heart in, but I did replenish your vital organ and used some curing magic on you that it helped close your wound up…” she trailed off and bit her lower lip in that pinging shame and she then confessed, “After I had to cut your heart out, Tifa.” Then her face paled up in despair and knew she could have explained this whole circumstance with her lover better than that and without any fear of punishments foreshadowing her very soul._

_“WHA?! You, you cut my heart out?!” Tifa exclaimed, sounding exasperated by the stunning disclosure._

_“Well, it’s still beating with life and obviously hadn’t um, killed you right? Y-You know, since it’s technically not inside of you wh-where it should be.” The older woman stumbled with her words and could feel her hands sweat with anticipation._

_Tifa’s face soften into a less tense look and actually considered Aerith’s words, and knew how précised they were and that she was pretty much true about them. Settling with those words she replied, “You’re right about all that, actually. If it weren’t for you and whatever strong cure you used, I certainly wouldn’t have pulled through.”_

_Still feeling numb and guilty and distressed the Ancient apologized, “I’m sorry, Tifa. I didn’t mean to keep it as a huge secret from you when it’s rightfully yours, and not mine to have.”_

_Looking around the room as the lights from her ever glowing heart dithered down significantly as well as Tifa’s emotions and feeling the pulsing hearty warmth in her once more, she carefully touched Aerith’s chin and slowly raised it up with her hand, she could see the obvious worry in her lover’s gorgeous green eyes._

_Oh great, here it comes. Smackdown time for you, Gainsborough. You deserve it. You know it. Aerith mentally fussed._

_Tifa surprised her, though. She smiled longingly into those beautiful eyes and she traced her hand up Aerith’s creamy skin face and brushed her hair delicately and tucked an attractive thin curly strand behind the Cetra’s ear and drew her hand down the older woman’s neck and placed it carefully over her small shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Hey, there’s nothing to worry about hon. I’m actually quite flattered and happy. You did something very brave and kept something that I had been meaning to give to you a long time ago.”_

_Stunned by her younger lover’s odd but sweet-hearted words, Aerith couldn’t wrap her head around what direction of her words she was going to go with next. “Tifa?” she asked, meekly and puzzled._

_Clearing her throat and trying to make herself sound a little clearer, the younger brunette grinned gracefully into Aerith’s questioning eyes and she explained, “Uh well what I mean is that, there’s no one else in this Planet who I’d rather give my heart to than you. I always had this burning crush on you long ago, but we were so damned busy trying to make that spiky-headed ex-SOLDIER happy with fulfilling his silly quests and missions!” she protested bitterly at the end of her explanation, but hoped that it was clearer enough._

_“Oh, really?” Aerith squeaked a little eagerly. “You mean that you too had that secret crush on me way back then?” then she made a sarcastic snort at the young fighter’s last words and rolled her eyes and fully agreed with her. “Yeah, I mean we were the ones who were saving his spiky ass, but hey he’s way outta our league for sure!” Tifa smirked and laughed delightedly at her older lover’s words and snorted to agree with them herself. Aerith did unabashedly confessed, “If it weren’t for him though, we probably wouldn’t have met way back in those days and become the caring lovers we are now, Tifa.”_

_“Huh you know that’s very true. He gets a little bit of the benefit then.” She said with a nod of her head._

_Aerith had to be sure of something and she bravely asked her, “Are you mad about what I’ve done with your heart, hon?”_

_Shaking her head quickly and smiling ardently Tifa responded, “Not at all. I feel so much better and happier and thankful that you have something I’ve been able to give over to right person.” She pulled Aerith in for heartfelt hug and relief came dawning all over the Ancient as she happily returned the hug back and stroked Tifa’s strong back soothingly and Tifa grinned in her purchase as she rubbed her hands down lower Aerith’s divine and pink dress covered back. “I love you, and you’ll always have that my love.”_

_Aerith’s eyes could’ve shed some mirthful tears at this rate and she was truly touched and genuinely pleased with the sweet and compassionate words and proclaiming of love Tifa blessed her very soul with._

_“I love you too Tifa and you’ll always have me and all my love, hon.” She smiled tearfully into the affectionate and heartfelt hug._

_They lingered in the meaningful hug for a little longer till Tifa embraced her past and she graciously felt herself get over the one irritable predicament, and she confirmed with an amused look on her face, “I guess we both do have one other figure to thank for what we have now.”_

_“Oh?” the older woman piped out curiously and gently pulled from her young lover and gazed questionably into her beautiful auburauburn eyes. “Who’s that, my love?”_

_Tifa smirked and shook her head at how funny the thought was and how true it was at the same time, and she announced, “That pivotal green slimy beast Mr. Malboro of course, darling!”_

_That was when the sudden realization hit her as well and Aerith laughed and practically busted a gut in doing so._

Yes. She _really_ does have to thank that green slimy Malboro for the loving gift she’s been holding onto since that fight up in the mountains way back in those old days. Aerith made up with her Holy materia and _knew_ deep down that it too had a vital part in her happiness and comfort because it all made sense. The heavenly white orb was only doing its job but it was blessed with the power of the Planet and all it craves and encourages everyone to have is happiness within its inhabitants.

Tifa _certainly_ has her happiness, and it’s blessedly being shared with Aerith. The Planet couldn’t be any happier to have succeeded in one couple’s happily ever after. Now it needs to work _hard_ on the rest of its people.

However the reason why Aerith is holding onto Tifa’s treasure boxed heart in her hands quite dominantly is because her younger lover is being unruly and little out of control again and thus she’ll just have to settle this situation the way she _normally_ does.

One loving squeeze is all it’ll take.

For Tifa, she will forever find that genuinely _arousing_ , despite any tough circumstances.

Aerith smiled wickedly and she looks up to the heavens and she mumbled to herself, “Thank you, Holy and Mr. Malboro.”

** _(~*END*~)_ **


End file.
